Orthopedic pillow having oblong central aperture

ABSTRACT

An improved orthopedic head pillow enables a user to maintain correct spinal alignment while sleeping in a variety of positions. The pillow has a stuffed resilient body formed from cloth cover having a generally rectangular central aperture. For one embodiment, pillow dimensions are about 48 cm by 76 cm, with a 10 cm by 15 cm central aperture that is aligned so that its longitudinal axis is aligned with the pillow&#39;s lateral axis of symmetry. For back sleepers, the back of the head is cushioned by the edges of the aperture yet positioned at mattress level. Side sleepers can use either side portion of the pillow to the side of the aperture, with the head being centered on the side portion and the face facing either the aperture or the edge of the pillow. Stomach sleepers can place the side of the face on a downward slope adjacent the aperture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates, generally, to orthopedic pillow and, more particularly to pillows designed to maintain proper alignment of the spine and thereby helping to prevent hyperkyphosis whether one is a back sleeper, a side sleeper, or a stomach sleeper.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In western nations, when a person sleeps on his or her back, a pillow is almost always used to cushion the head. With such an arrangement, the person's head is generally elevated above the level of the mattress, with the spine assuming an unnatural forward curvature near the neck. It has been postulated that this sleeping posture, though relatively comfortable, may contribute to the development of hyperkyphosis. Hyperkyphosis of the dorsal curve usually starts with the loss of the cervical curve, that is, a flattening out or a reversal in shape of the cervical spine, a condition that existing orthopedic pillows attempt to avert or correct.

Hyperkyphosis of the dorsal curve usually starts with the loss of the cervical curve, that is, a flattening out or a reversal in shape of the cervical spine, a condition that existing orthopedic pillows try to correct. Loss of the cervical curve causes the remaining three interconnecting curves of the spinal column to adjust to maintain the body's center of gravity. Therefore, the hyperkyphotic curve of the dorsal spine, which is next to the cervical curve, also must be corrected to correct hyperkyphosis. If the hyperkyphotic curve is not corrected, but the cervical curve is corrected, a gooseneck type of cervical curve is developed rather than the normal 35-45 degree curves of both the cervical and thoracic spines.

A number of orthopedic pillows have been developed for the purpose of maintaining proper alignment of the spine while one is sleeping on his or her back.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,518 to John D. Summer discloses a rectangular orthopedic pillow with a unitary body filled with feathers, foam or other resilient material that has a deep, generally hemispherical depression or aperture, which receives the back of the head. The aperture is eccentrically positioned in the body to provide different width borders between the edge of the body and the aperture in order to accommodate different neck lengths. It is the border that supports the neck.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,246, also to John D. Summer, discloses a circular orthopedic pillow with a unitary body of foam or other resilient material having a deep, generally hemispherical depression or aperture, offset from the center of the body, which receives the back of the head. The offset aperture provides a border around the aperture, for support of the back of the neck, of varying width to accommodate different neck lengths.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,281 to Dixie I. Mathews, discloses a toroidal foam rubber cushion which can be used to support the head of an infant.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,831 to Harry T. Treace, discloses an orthopedic head support formed from a flexible open ell foam material that includes a base portion for resting on a support surface, and a pair of pads fixedly mounted on the base portion. The base and pads form a cradle for support of the head. An upper minor portion of the pads and the base, which are in contact with the head, are provided with a soft open cell foam material.

U.S. Design Pat. No. D261,681 discloses a generally rectangular orthopedic pillow having a circular aperture therein which is offset from the center thereof.

U.S. Design Pat. No. D256,728 discloses a reversible orthopedic pillow having a cutout for ear and eye relief areas.

All of these pillows are either expressly identified or obviously intended for either back or side sleepers. Not one is intended for those with variable sleep habits. Certain individuals like to alternate between sleeping on their backs, sleeping on one side or the other, or sleeping on their stomachs. What is needed is a pillow that will accommodate back sleepers, side sleepers and stomach sleepers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved orthopedic head pillow which enables the user to comfortably sleep on his or her back, on either side, or on his or her stomach while maintaining correct spinal alignment. A preferred embodiment of the improved orthopedic head pillow has a resilient body of generally rectangular shape body with standard “queen-size” dimensions of 48 cm (about 18 inches)×76 cm (about 30 inches) and is made of conventional materials, including a cloth cover. A generally rectangular central aperture having filleted corners is sewn into the cover, preferably using internal seaming. The cover is subsequently partially seamed on the outer edges, stuffed with a resilient fiber fill and then fully seamed on the outer edges. Given its standard perimetric dimensions, the pillow can be covered with a standard pillow cover. For adults, the presently preferred size of the capsule-shaped central aperture is about 10 cm (about 4 inches) by 15 cm (about 6 inches), with the aperture's longitudinal axis coincident with the lateral axis of the pillow. Though the stated body and aperture size are deemed optimum for use by an average size adult, they may be correspondingly modified for smaller or larger individuals. In addition, pillow body size may be modified as well to accommodate smaller or larger size mattresses. Furthermore, other types of known fill material, such as down, feathers or other types of synthetic fibers of appropriate density and resiliency may be substituted for the polyester fiber fill.

The central aperture accommodates a variety of sleeping positions. For back sleepers, the back of the head is cushioned by the edges of the aperture yet positioned at mattress level, and the sleeper can adjust the location of his head within the aperture so that necks of a range of lengths are accommodated. Side sleepers can use either side portion of the pillow to the side of the aperture, with the head being centered on the side portion and the face facing either the aperture or the edge of the pillow for less restricted breathing. Thus, for side sleepers, the head is elevated to that the spine remains generally straight from a lateral perspective. Stomach sleepers can place the side of the face on a downward slope adjacent the aperture in order to facilitate less restricted breathing. Thus, one temple of the sleeper is positioned essentially at mattress level. Given the inherent flexibility of the present invention, proper alignment of the spine is maintained for all three types of sleepers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is top or bottom plan view of a first embodiment of the new orthopedic pillow having a generally rectangular central aperture with filleted corners;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the orthopedic pillow of FIG. 1, from a view point along an intersection of two planes of symmetry, one of which is a lateral axis of symmetry, the other passing between the opposed faces of the orthopedic pillow;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the orthopedic pillow of FIG. 1, taken through plane 3-3, which is the longitudinal plane of symmetry;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the orthopedic pillow of FIG. 1, taken through plane 4-4, which is the lateral plane of symmetry; and

FIG. 5 is a second embodiment of the new orthopedic pillow having a capsule-shaped central aperture.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawing FIGS. 1 through 3. It should be understood that the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and are meant to be merely illustrative of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the improved orthopedic head pillow 100 uses conventional materials, including a cloth cover 101. A generally rectangular central aperture 102 having filleted corners is sewn into the cover 101, preferably using internal seaming. The cover 101 is subsequently partially seamed on the outer edges, stuffed with a resilient fiber fill and then fully seamed on the outer edges. The cover 100 of the first embodiment improved orthopedic head pillow is of generally rectangular shape body with standard “queen-size” dimensions of 48 cm (about 18 inches)×76 cm (about 30 inches). Given its standard perimetric dimensions, the pillow can be covered with a standard pillow cover. For adults, the presently preferred size of the generally rectangular central aperture is about 10 cm (about 4 inches) by 15 cm (about 6 inches), with the aperture's longitudinal axis coincident with the lateral axis of the pillow. Though the stated body and aperture size are deemed optimum for use by an average size adult, they may be correspondingly modified for smaller or larger individuals. In addition, pillow body size may be modified as well to accommodate smaller or larger size mattresses. Furthermore, other types of known fill material, such as down, feathers or other types of synthetic fibers, including memory fiber, of appropriate density and resiliency may be substituted for the polyester fiber fill.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover 101 of the orthopedic head pillow 100 includes a top panel 201T, a bottom panel 201B, a outer perimetric band 202 that bridges the gap between the top and bottom panels 201T and 201B and is sewn to both. A length of upper beaded seam binding 103U is sewn into the seam between the top panel 201T and the outer perimetric band 202, while a length of lower beaded seam binding 103L is sewn into the seam between the bottom panel 201B and the outer perimetric band 202. The upper seam 104U which unites the top panel 201T, the outer perimetric band 202 and the upper beaded seam binding is visible in FIG. 1. An inner perimetric band 105 surrounds the aperture 102 and is seamed to both the top panel 201T and the bottom panel 201B. The upper seam 106 is visible in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the polyester fiber fill 201 within cloth sleeve 101 is visible in this longitudinal cross-section view. The internal seaming 202 around the central aperture 102 is also visible, as are the external end seams 103L and 103R.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the polyester fiber fill 201 is also visible in this lateral cross-section view. Also visible is the single internal seam 301 used to make the cloth sleeve 101.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, and 3, the central aperture 102 has the shape of a capsule, taken in a top or bottom plan view, with the aperture being shaped, essentially, like a rectangle with semicircular ends. For back sleepers, the back of the head is cushioned by the pillow body regions 107L, 107R, 107T and 107B around the perimeter of the aperture 102, yet positioned at mattress level because the pillow is deformed by the weight of the user's head. The user can adjust the location of his head within the aperture so that necks of a range of lengths are accommodated. Side sleepers can use either side portion 108L or 108R of the pillow to the side of the aperture 102, with the head being centered on the side portion and the face facing either the aperture or the edge of the pillow for less restricted breathing. Thus, for side sleepers, the head is elevated to that the spine remains generally straight from a lateral perspective. Stomach sleepers can place the side of the face on a downward slope 303L or 303R, which are adjacent the aperture, in order to facilitate less restricted breathing. Thus, one temple of the sleeper is positioned essentially at mattress level because the pillow body deforms under the weight of the user's head. Given the inherent adaptability of the present invention, proper alignment of the spine is maintained for all three types of sleepers.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a second embodiment of the improved orthopedic head pillow 500 is identical to the first embodiment orthopedic pillow 100, with the exception that the cover 501 has a central aperture that is capsule shaped, rather than rectangular with filleted corners. A capsule shaped aperture is defined as a rectangle with the minor opposed sides replaced with semicircles in a concave configuration. the presently preferred size of the generally rectangular central aperture is about 10 cm (about 4 inches) by 17.75 cm (about 7 inches), with the aperture's longitudinal axis coincident with the lateral axis of the pillow. Though the stated body and aperture size are deemed optimum for use by an average size adult, they may be correspondingly modified for smaller or larger individuals. In addition, pillow body size may be modified as well to accommodate smaller or larger size mattresses. Furthermore, other types of known fill material, such as down, feathers or other types of synthetic fibers, including memory fiber, of appropriate density and resiliency may be substituted for the polyester fiber fill. The views of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 also apply to the second embodiment pillow 500.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the length of upper beaded seam binding 503U and the upper seam 504U are identical to the seam binding 103U and the upper seam 104U of FIG. 1. The inner perimetric band 505 surrounds the aperture 502 and is seamed to both the top and bottom panels (the top panel is not numbered and the bottom panel is not shown in this view). The upper seam 506 is visible in FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 5, the central aperture 502 has the shape of a capsule, taken in a top or bottom plan view, with the aperture being shaped, essentially, like a rectangle with semicircular ends. For back sleepers, the back of the head is cushioned by the pillow body regions 507L, 507R, 507T and 507B around the perimeter of the aperture 502, yet positioned at mattress level because the pillow is deformed by the weight of the user's head. The user can adjust the location of his head within the aperture so that necks of a range of lengths are accommodated. Side sleepers can use either side portion 508L or 508R of the pillow to the side of the aperture 502, with the head being centered on the side portion and the face facing either the aperture or the edge of the pillow for less restricted breathing. Thus, for side sleepers, the head is elevated to that the spine remains generally straight from a lateral perspective. Stomach sleepers can place the side of the face on a downward slope 303L or 303R, which are adjacent the aperture, in order to facilitate less restricted breathing. Thus, one temple of the sleeper is positioned essentially at mattress level because the pillow body deforms under the weight of the user's head. Given the inherent adaptability of the present invention, proper alignment of the spine is maintained for all three types of sleepers.

Although only a single embodiment of the new orthopedic pillow has been disclosed and described, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. An improved orthopedic head pillow enables a user to maintain correct spinal alignment while sleeping in a variety of positions, said orthopedic head pillow comprising: a cloth cover including identical top and bottom panels, each of which has a generally rectangular perimetric outer edge and a central aperture having an oblong perimetric inner edge, said central aperture aligned so that its longitudinal axis is aligned with its associated panel's lateral axis of symmetry, a generally rectangular outer perimetric cloth band which bridges a gap between said top and bottom panels, said outer perimetric band having a pair of major parallel edges, each of which is sewn to a perimetric outer edge of one of said panels, and a pair of minor parallel end edges which are sewn together, and an inner perimetric cloth band which also bridges a gap between said top and bottom panels, said inner perimetric band having a pair of major parallel edges, each of which is sewn to a perimetric inner edge of one of said panels, and a pair of minor parallel end edges which are sewn together, thereby providing an internal cavity for said cover; and filling material used to stuff said internal cavity.
 2. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 1, wherein each of said top and bottom panels has exterior dimensions of about 48 cm by 76 cm and a generally rectangular central aperture having dimensions of about 10 cm by 15 cm.
 3. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 1, wherein said filling material is selected from the group consisting of synthetic fibers, down and feathers.
 4. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 1, wherein said filling material is fiber made from polyester resin.
 5. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 1, wherein the oblong aperture of each of said top and bottom panels is generally rectangular, with filleted corners.
 6. The improved orthopedic pillow of claim 1, which further comprises a length of beaded seam binding, which is sewn into each seam which joins the outer edge of each cloth panel to a major edge of said outer perimetric cloth band.
 7. The improved orthopedic pillow of claim 1, wherein the oblong aperture of each of said top and bottom panels is capsule shaped in that it is generally a rectangle with opposed minor sides replaced by semicircles in a concave relationship.
 8. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 7, wherein each of said top and bottom panels has exterior dimensions of about 48 cm by 76 cm and said central aperture has dimensions of about 10 cm by 17.75 cm.
 9. An improved orthopedic head pillow enables a user to maintain correct spinal alignment while sleeping in a variety of positions, said orthopedic head pillow comprising: a rectangular hollow body including a cloth cover and resilient filling; and an oblong central aperture having its longitudinal axis aligned with the hollow body's lateral axis of symmetry; wherein said oblong central aperture is spaced between about 15 cm and about 18 cm from a longitudinal edge of said hollow body.
 10. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 9, wherein said cloth cover comprises: identical top and bottom panels, each of which has a generally rectangular perimetric outer edge and a central aperture having an oblong perimetric inner edge, said central aperture aligned so that its longitudinal axis is aligned with its associated panel's lateral axis of symmetry; a generally rectangular outer perimetric cloth band which bridges a gap between said top and bottom panels, said outer perimetric band having a pair of major parallel edges, each of which is sewn to a perimetric outer edge of one of said panels, and a pair of minor parallel end edges which are sewn together; and an inner perimetric cloth band which also bridges a gap between said top and bottom panels, said inner perimetric band having a pair of major parallel edges, each of which is sewn to a perimetric inner edge of one of said panels, and a pair of minor parallel end edges which are sewn together, thereby providing an internal cavity for said cover.
 11. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 10, wherein each of said top and bottom panels has exterior dimensions of about 48 cm by 76 cm and a generally rectangular central aperture having dimensions of about 10 cm by 15 cm.
 12. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 10, wherein said filling material is selected from the group consisting of synthetic fibers, down and feathers.
 13. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 10, wherein said filling material is fiber made from polyester resin.
 14. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 10, wherein the oblong aperture of each of said top and bottom panels is generally rectangular, with filleted corners.
 15. The improved orthopedic pillow of claim 10, which further comprises a length of beaded seam binding, which is sewn into each seam which joins the outer edge of each cloth panel to a major edge of said outer perimetric cloth band.
 16. The improved orthopedic pillow of claim 10, wherein the oblong aperture of each of said top and bottom panels is capsule shaped in that it is generally a rectangle with opposed minor sides replaced by semicircles in a concave relationship.
 17. The improved orthopedic head pillow of claim 16, wherein each of said top and bottom panels has exterior dimensions of about 48 cm by 76 cm and said central aperture has dimensions of about 10 cm by 17.75 cm. 